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The GOP will spin next week’s the elections in NJ and VA as evidence that they are re-surging and attempt to build momentum with their base into 2010 elections. They will say it is a predictor for 2010. Strategically that is exactly what they should do. Ironically, these are the same two states where Democratic wins in 2005 helped to ease the pain of the 2004 election loss, reminding Democrats that we could win in tough places.

The win in 2005 did re-energize our party. It did help us build momentum into the 2006 mid-term elections. However, there is a key difference between the Democrats back then, and the Republicans now: the base of the Democratic Party was far more unified and, despite their dissolution, far more than 20% of Americans were willing to call themselves Democrats. President Obama also is significantly more popular than Bush was at this time. If you talk to voters in these mid-midterms one thing is abundantly clear: people are angrier than they have been in a long time. They aren't necessarily angry at President Obama, but unpredictability of that anger is a key factor moving into the 2010 elections.

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